Starry Night, Sterling Sun
by biodegraded
Summary: A heart does not always love only one person. Jacob offers Bella kindness, unconditional friendship and the life she wants, but Edward shows her a world of passion. In her first ever relationship she is forced to choose between her two best friends.
1. From Small Beginnings

**From Small Beginnings**

_Another turning point, a fork stuck in the road,_

_Time grabs you by the wrists, directs you where to go._

_Yesterday's been buried, asphyxiated past,_

_ You follow the white light, but nothing ever lasts…_

The ash grey sky was an omen for Bella. The flood of clouds stretched on without beginning or end on the sunless canvas. A brown Chevrolet rolled by underneath on a quiet road, with Bella in the back, legs stretched out across the seat. Her pale arm reached behind her head, cushioning it from the window. A set of head phones sat snug in her ears, and her eyes stared unfocused at the moving blur of green beyond the opposite window. Her fingers curled absentmindedly around the strands of her mahogany hair.

Above the sound of music, Bella could hear the chatter of her mom's voice.

"I still can't believe we found a nice place at such a cheap rent! Now we can use the extra money for all the traveling between games."

"Yeah sure, but don't forget all my expenses are covered by the team's owners anyways." replied Phil.

"But mine aren't! Now I can come with you everywhere! And who knows, with the extra cash we can do a little more than just traveling between games." She winked and elbowed him lightly.

And so continued the ceaseless discussions of Jacksonville, apartments, the Jacksonville Suns, traveling, the upcoming roster, batting stats, and this and that. Bella had never seen her mom so excited, and found her enthusiasm to be pleasant—yet insulting. In all the thrill of the big move, Renee spoke little about Bella's arrangement. Bella surmised this to be as a result of some possible guilt, and was pleased, in an unsatisfying way. In the end, Renee and Phil would be moving to the bright and more importantly warm Jacksonville, and she would be transferred to the wet, drab city of Forks, which perpetually lacked sunlight and was bleak with any prospects of Bella holding a life that was unknown to the small town of 3000 people. Or so she remembered from spending her summers there as a child with her father Charlie.

The decision to return to her birthplace was a quick one, which required little to none of Bella's own input. Recalling correctly, it was a Sunday evening, shortly after New Year's Day. Bella sat propped against the headboard of her bed, enjoying a leisure read during the winter holidays off from school. Dan Brown's _Angels and Demons_ was no literary masterpiece, nor was it all that different from his other books, but it was her thrill of the week. So she sat, plowing through it page by page, with an empty carton of Chinese take-out beside her, when her mom came into the room.

She expected the same artificial smile cut into Renee's lips since Phil announced his recruitment onto the Jacksonville Suns Minor League Baseball team. His move to Florida had Renee insecure about holding on to her great catch for some time. But today it was all teeth, and her skin actually crinkled at the corner of her eyes. Bella knew immediately that Renee was genuinely happy about something. She looked up from her book, her eyes wide and inquisitive.

"Hey Bella, honey! How's that book coming along?" _What? No, get to the point._ "Well," she settled herself neatly at the end of Bella's bed. "we've, well, _I've_ finally come up with a solution for us to be able to work out Phil's arrangement!" _Oh, so we're moving._ "We've found a buyer for the house! I'm still looking into places in Jacksonville, but I'm sure something will come up by the time the buyer will move in, which should be at the end of February. Anyways… we've also got a great idea for you too sweety!" _Oh?_ "You're going to be moving back to your summer homeland, Forks!"

…Oh.

Renee moved up to hug her. "Oh look at you! You're going to be with your dad again, I know how much you love spending time with Charlie!" Bella didn't recall hugging her mom back, and Renee left before she could make any show of disappointment. Her eyes returned to her book, narrowed, and her lips formed an indignant line.

There are a few milestones in a girl's life where her mother's presence is most noted: her birth, of course, when she gets that monthly "gift", her sweet sixteen, her first kiss, her senior prom, and her wedding. To each girl, her mother represents a mixed bag of support, awkward talks, the source of inane amounts of picture snapping, and the only person crying over the situation. So it would seem unusual to many that Renee would even consider sending Bella 3000 miles away in the middle of her junior year for an indefinite amount of time that would likely extend well beyond her senior prom.

But for Bella, she was just surprised at how she hadn't this coming.

Typical for any B-rated movie, Bella had been conceived on the night of Charlie and Renee's junior prom. To prevent any small town scandal, the honourable Charlie proposed to Renee. She accepted, her elation owing more to throwing a big wedding party than his professions of love. Eight and a half months later, Isabella Hayden Swan had been born, shortly before Charlie had graduated high school and secured a job as Constable Swan at the police department. Her birth was also soon after Renee left school for good.

Standing by his word, he purchased a mortgage for a small house that backed out into the woods, furnished with all the amenities suited for a comfortable family life together. Unfortunately for Charlie, Renee's eyes were already set on the bigger prize, or so they had been ever since she came to realize what a hole Forks was to live in. But Charlie had his new job, the house, his friends, his family, his memories, and every other excuse he mustered up whenever Renee urged him to move to the city.

It wasn't long before Renee kicked the bucket underneath Charlie's dream, crafted to perfection. But it was not without resistance. Charlie fought Renee throughout the whole process, from when she annulled the marriage, claiming it was just for the baby and that they didn't love each other (a low blow), winning custody for Bella, packing all her things, and finding a temporary place to stay in with her cousin in Sacramento. He even pleaded with her as she made her way to the front door, bags, baby, and plane tickets in her hands. It wasn't until she turned on him, finally acknowledging his presence in the whole fiasco that he stopped. Her eyes burned holes into his, and her voice was steely.

"Just let me go Charlie."

Of course, Bella learned this once when Renee was drunk. No one else would ever admit to breaking a heart of gold like Charlie's the way she had. Not while they were sober at least.

After that, Renee was finally free to live the bohemian life she always dreamed of. There was plenty of booze, boys, booty calls, and sure enough, Bella. Except somewhere in between juggling jobs, parties and her child, Renee realized that Bella was growing and would now need more than formula, fresh diapers and a baby sitter. From then on Bella became the one drag on her freedom. In return, Bella received a much compromised upbringing. The only time life was stable for Bella was when she visited Forks during the summer holidays, an arrangement sought out by Renee. But Bella hated those visits. Kind as he was, she never found herself becoming close with Charlie, and he seemed to withdraw all the same. And she hated being confined indoors from the rain when she was supposed to be playing outside.

Those visits stopped when Phil entered the beaten composition of their family. He was the jock-type then too, tall, tanned and strapping. But there must have been something in his lack-luster grey eyes that enchanted Renee, because she refused to move on from him, even when he tried to. Bella thought he seemed just like all the others before him. She also thought her mom had succeeded in vanquishing all her previous dating records with Phil being eight years her junior. But Renee claimed that the Minor League Baseball player was her true love. Other women in their neighborhood in Phoenix, Arizona claimed she was a salacious cougar who was finally tied up to someone. She met Phil four years ago, when Bella was thirteen, and they had been living common law ever since.

Bella evaluated her life with Renee as she lay behind her in Phil's car. She had spent a significant part of her life with her, and pockets of time in absence. And after much reflection, the cumulative effect of leaving Renee for Forks during what could have been defined as a crucial time in her life left Bella feeling nothing more than mere indifference. What was it, but another fork in the road?

She changed the music on her mp3 player, untangling the cord from her necklace. It was a dulled silver pendant in the shape of a vintage sailor wheel, perfectly symmetrical except for the small hoop where the black string that held it looped through. Bella had received it from Renee for her thirteenth birthday. Renee purported that it was an heirloom from her grandmother and that it was good luck. _Whatever_. Renee couldn't keep a job long enough to make the next month's rent, let alone hold a family treasure. Bella believed that it probably belonged to somebody's grandmother, and that it made a special and affordable birthday gift idea for her at the pawn shop. But even so, Bella found herself drawn to it. Perhaps it was the unique shape of the pendant that matched her tomboyish personality, or that she liked feeling its presence resting against her chest, always warmer than anything else she wore, or even that Renee had never given her anything so unique, but it never left Bella's neck after that day.

She picked it up and ran her fingers against the rounded edges for the umpteenth time. It was a vestige from her past, the only one that Bella brought along with her. Her eyes followed its shape, where the piece of metal formed a ring. And then it became unnerving to Bella, how soon it was in her thus short life that she too had come full circle.

* * *

The wheels of Bella's suitcase clicked against the ridges of the floor tiles of Quillayute airport in Forks, Washington. Propped against her opposite shoulder was a loaded duffle bag that dragged at her, making her lean to one side as she walked. A flock of eyes assaulted her when she emerged from the baggage hall but quickly moved away, save for a chestnut-coloured pair, with a set of matching furrowed eyebrows. Charlie wasn't upset, but it was unlike him to ever show any display of outward enthusiasm. The stark contrast between his persona and Renee's was refreshing. Bella knew at once she would welcome Charlie's presence more than her mom's.

One of the changes she was most greatful for was that he spoke with efficiency.

"Hey there Bells," Came a brusque greeting.

"Hey Charlie—Dad ." Bella replied, hastily correcting herself. She never referred to him as _dad_ unless she spoke to him, and as they were out of touch, she had been out of practice. She surveyed the walls on her side awkwardly.

Charlie was unfazed. "How was your flight?" If she heard correctly, he even seemed amused. Bella relaxed.

"It was fine. They didn't play any movies though." He nodded slowly, and continued to look ahead of them as he spoke to her.

"So…" he started reluctantly, scratching his face underneath his trimmed moustache. Bella's arrival must have counted as a special occasion to him. "How was Vegas?"

Bella silently grimaced. The road trip to Las Vegas was Renee's idea. The weekend spent celebrating Phil's recruitment had left her mollified. After a glimpse of drunk Renee and Phil at the slots, she denied all association for the remainder of the trip. One particular conversation Bella overheard during breakfast involved the great time they had at the strip club the night before, with descriptions of Tina Tingles, their favourite dancer. Bella wished they spared her by sending her to Forks two days sooner.

"It was exactly what you'd expect on a trip with mom." She replied gingerly.

Charlie's lips very gradually spread into a humoured smile.

"I… see." Was all he said.

The only more horrifying part of the trip was the ride home in Charlie's police cruiser. Bella sat rigid in the front seat, casting her eyes away from the window lest she was recognized by any passersby. In a failed attempt at humour, Charlie had originally suggested to move the duffle bag to the front seat, vacating the back of the cruiser for Bella. One glance at her face stifled any further mention of the idea.

The tires slowed, crunching against the gravel of the drive way, and stopped behind the most absurd heap of metal Bella had ever seen. It was a pickup truck, except Bella was certain Charlie must have bent the laws of time in order to get his hands on it. She believed it to have been red once, but with time there encroached a new layer of orangey rust and dents.

"So I figured you would need to get around somehow. This is for just that." Charlie astutely informed Bella. Evidently she had no other option.

_Oh crap. _And that was that. He tossed her the keys and dragged her luggage inside. _He didn't even give me a chance_, thought Bella as she saw all prospects of entertaining a social life dissipate before the car.

Another set of tires dragged to a stop on the pavement behind her. She turned around to find two men emerge, the first, aged and grey, was supported in a wheel chair by the other. The younger man appeared to be less like a man and more of a medium sized tree. He towered at somewhere approaching six feet and five inches, and although he slouched over the older man's chair, his shoulders were expansive. He wore a teasing, fitted black full sleeve shirt which sculpted the muscles of his body perfectly, giving him the appearance of a heavy weight wrestler, and his skin glowed bronze, convincing Bella that he was from somewhere far, far away from Forks. His cheeks were long and smooth, his lips full, and his eyes were brown and very narrow. His thick black hair was cropped short. He grinned at her. His teeth were two perfect lines of pearly white.

Bella had concluded on some uncomfortable facts. Those were that this dreadfully attractive man was approaching _her_, that she was still in her travelling clothes, and that she hadn't thought of combing her hair since last night. Her last resort was to pray to every force she could think of that he would not associate the ridiculous piece of junk she stood by with her.

"Hey Bella!" the tree and man greeted her. At closer inspection Bella recognized the man in the wheelchair to be Billy Black, a friend of her father's.

"Hi Billy, and…" she trailed off waiting for the tree to introduce himself.

"Come on, Bella, it's me, Jacob!"

_…Woah._ "Oh, wow Jacob I didn't recognize you at all. You've changed a lot since I last saw you."

Jacob grinned easily. "Yeah, it's been a while. You've changed quite a bit yourself too."

Bella looked down at herself. _Stupid, not in the last thirty seconds._ "I, yeah, I suppose I have." _Suppose?!_ She seethed at herself, wondering why she couldn't speak free and effortlessly like Jacob, topping off with a casual chuckle. Bella had a sudden desire to fit in with him. She tucked a strand of hair behind her ear, panicking about what she should say next.

Jacob swiftly responded. "So, what do you think?" he motioned behind Bella.

_Oh God. He's seen it. Play it cool. _"What, this?" she threw a thumb at the truck. "Yeah… it's got that vintage look. I think Charlie just got it."

Jacob chuckled knowingly. "Yeah, I know he did, for you though. Have you driven it yet?"

Bella's heart sank into her feet. He knew, and this conversation would not last much longer. "No… not yet." She looked at the ground. It would be less painful if she couldn't see Jacob's scorn of disgust towards her and the car.

Instead, she could hear Jacob's smile through his words. "Well let me know what you think when you do. I have a personal attachment to this car."

Bella regarded Jacob with confusion. She couldn't understand the exact meaning of his taunt. Was it necessary to have lived in Forks as long as him to recognize this kind of slander?

He gestured towards the truck. "I sort of rebuilt the engine. That's my Dad's old truck. Well, his _really_ old truck."

Bella arched her eyebrows and looked back. She placed a hand on its cold surface for the first time. "Wow Jacob, this is very impressive."

"Yeah Bella well it was either yours or Jacob's. I think you can now understand the reason behind this nice gesture of his." Billy chimed.

"Dad!" Jacob chided.

_So you're the one that did this to me._ "No, hey, thanks a lot Jacob. This is much better than being driven around by the Chief."

Jacob winked. "I thought so." Knots formed in Bella's stomach.

Bella turned around to the sound of footfall on the porch steps.

"All right Bells, I emptied out your bags in your room and took them into the basement. Hey bud. Jake." Charlie briefly nodded at the two of them.

"On for tonight?" Billy asked.

"Not today, covering the station. Saturday's still good, right?"

"You bet it is. Harry's bringing fish. You should come too, Bella." Billy offered.

"Aw, yes, God he hasn't made that stuff in a while. Yeah that's a great idea Bells, why don't you come along too?"

The three of them stared at Bella. She observed the ease at which Charlie mingled with Billy and Jacob. It was as if she were the only person in the world that could possibly be so socially awkward. _What are they even doing on Saturday night? _

Once again Jacob came in for the save. "Swing by some time Bella, especially in the evening. That way you can sit in for one of our ancient spirit chants. But you could come in the morning and afternoon too. We'd probably still be doing that."

_What the _hell_? _Bella was a disaster. A thousand things she could respond with swirled in her mind. None of those things came to her mouth. She was aware that her lips had parted a few times to speak but to no avail. She blinked her eyes and swallowed, mentally calculating how many second had passed in silence. Why blame the car? She was her own downfall.

Jacob laughed, clapping his hands together. "Oh my God Bella, you should see your face!" he choked out. Billy smacked him at the back of his leg twice.

"And that's what you get for stereotyping your people. These kids." He sighed. Charlie shook his head, grinning at Jacob with his arms crossed.

Bella's face was on fire, if that's what Jacob wanted her to see. She felt every inch of skin erupt in heat despite the cold February draft. She began to nod her head slowly, and even salvaged a smile.

"Nice one." Was all she could squeak.

To her immense and timely relief, Billy motioned Jacob towards their car, and they began to back out of the driveway.

"Anyways, I just wanted to see how you liked the work on the car. Give me a call once you get a chance to drive it, okay?" Jacob offered. Bella nodded, horrified and elated at the opportunity to speak with Jacob again.

"Alright Charlie, Saturday it is." Billy waved. Bella watched Jacob help Billy into his car, and then without looking back he hopped into the driver's seat and took off. She heard Charlie retreat into their home behind her, but Bella remained, her eyes trailing on the place where Jacob had stood. She imagined herself with him, chatting simply about mutual interests as if they had been old friends. When she was certain Charlie was out of ear's shot, Bella imitated Jacob's carefree laugh, but her version was contrived and suffocated. Vexed with herself, she quickly withdrew and walked towards the house, but not without noticing the unusually large foot print outlined in the gravel. She then mused, with revering curiosity, on how it was possible that a fifteen year old adolescent who was once slighter than her had come to resemble a fully grown, twenty-something year old, miniature giant.

* * *

Thank you all for making it to the end of Chapter 1! I hope you like what you've seen so far, it's so hard writing when it's not just for you anymore and you have to be mindful that other people will be reading it too! Just to let you know,_ Starry Night_ refers to the Van Gogh painting and the dark/eerie feeling you get looking at it, and of course, it represents night time and thus Edward. _Sterling Sun_ is pretty much another phrase for full moon, which represents Jacob. And that's how I came up with the title! Please review if you like it!


	2. I'm Just a Kid, Life is a Nightmare

**I'm Just a Kid. Life is a Nightmare.**

Warmth tickled the lids of Bella's eyes as she roused from sleep, and flickered open to a shock of yellow that fell on her face through her half-drawn curtains. She closed her eyes in resistance to the brightness. Bella hadn't remembered when she fell asleep the night before but enjoyed the uninterrupted rest, catching up from the long week of moving.

She propped herself on her elbows, noting the unusual weather for Forks. It also seemed strange for the sun to shine so strong at such an early hour. She turned her digital clock on the night table towards her.

The green digits blinked 10:36 a.m.

_No!_

Her eyes raced to her cell phone, it was only a minute behind her clock. In an instant her sheets flew off and she was in the bathroom vigorously brushing her teeth. She splashed her face with cold water, thanking her good luck that she had thought of taking a shower after Jacob had left the day before. She drove a comb quickly through her hair and tied an elastic band around it.

Back in her room, she pulled on the first pair of jeans and sweater she found, both of which had become crumpled from being in her suitcase for days. Her hands moved like darts as she dressed herself, filled her book bag with blank paper and pens and threw her jacket around her shoulders. Her feet pounded down the wooden stairs of her house, pausing only momentarily to slip on her black runners, leaving the white laces undone. She shut the door behind her and ran down the driveway.

Bella threw the door open again, cursing loudly in the vacant house. She ran to the kitchen and grabbed a set of keys and water bottle off the counter. She made no move to lock the door. Having the Chief of Police as a father and possessing nothing of value, Bella rarely ever had to worry about security.

She jammed her key into the car ignition and twisted it, which only produced a pathetic grumble from the engine. _Good enough_, she approved as the car slowly backed out of the driveway. Charlie had explained the directions to her the night before, but in perfect accordance with the start of the day, everything with Bella's sense of navigation seemed to be going amiss. After three lefts and two rights, Bella was certain she was going in circles and would never make it. Nevertheless, she soon saw the red brick building in the distance. Relief washed over her as she pushed the gas pedal. To her surprise, the car had been working perfectly thus far, except that it was humiliatingly slow and loud. She made note of discussing that with Jacob.

It was as if the car had heard her thoughts, took offense, and decided to retaliate in the worst way possible. There was a sudden jolt after she had attempted to drive past sixty and her car began to slow regardless of how much pressure she applied to the gas. "No, no! Please no!" she moaned, but it continued to slow down, aided by the steep uphill slope of the road. She used the remaining momentum to veer it to the curb.

Bella climbed out and paced around the car erratically. Her hands moved back and forth from her face and her hair, a quirk that often surfaced when she was panicked. She looked back up the road and gauged the distance, then dug her hand into her bag and pulled out her cell phone. It read 10:58 a.m. If she was lucky and had third period lunch, which started at 11:05 according to her school in Phoenix, she could go straight to the cafeteria and no one would notice that she was late. Of course, she had no idea when lunch started and which one she had. She painfully remembered setting her alarm extra early to allow her time to pick up her schedule from the main office in the morning.

Mobilizing her energy, she tossed her bag over her shoulder and headed up towards the school. She flipped open her phone and dialed Charlie's number. It was very easy to guess.

"You've dialed 911, do you need the police, ambulance or the fire department?" Came a woman's voice.

"Umm, I need to speak to Chief Swan. It's an emergency." Bella's voice cracked under all the morning's stress.

"Okay I'll connect you to the police department." She replied swiftly.

"Chief Swan here."

"Hey Dad…" Bella mumbled, suddenly feeling ridiculous.

"Bella, what happened? Where are you, what's wrong?" he said, worried.

"Well, I sort of slept in today. And now my car broke down, but it's near the school. Would it be possible-can you please get my car picked up and bring it home so I can get Jacob to look at it? I don't want to be any later for class." She spoke in a quickly, panting between words as she hiked up the hill.

There was hesitation on Charlie's end. "Bella, you know I have a job and I can't just get up and leave. But… since it's your first day I'll arrange something for you. Where is it?"

Bella exhaled. "Thanks, I owe you. It's on…" she quickly scanned the names of the nearest intersection. "Spartan, close to E Division Street. You can't miss it."

"Alright, so I'll deal with that and then pick you up at three."

Bella's heart jogged. "Oh, Dad, that's really not necessary. I know you have work and all, I can manage on my own. I'm already interrupting you now."

"Nah, it's going to get pretty cold today. And I took the day off early anyways. See you then."

The call disconnected with a click. The thought of being picked up from school by the police gave Bella the sudden desire to turn around and go home. But it would be a long walk and it was just as well that she had no clue how she arrived at the school in the first place. Unwillingly, she continued dragging herself up the hill.

The moderately sized building had the title "Forks High School: Home of the Spartans" boldly inscribed in black letters. She felt hot from the exercise and slightly trembled from the lack of food in her system by the time she had gone inside.

Bella entered the main office and approached the portly receptionist.

"Can I help you?" she drawled, not looking up from her computer.

"Hi, my name is Bella Swan, I need to pick up my schedule. It's my first day."

"And why are you late today? I'm sure you had to know that school wouldn't start at eleven in the morning."

Bella paused, realizing she hadn't given any thought to a valid excuse. "Umm…" she stammered. "I had some difficulty finding my way here, and… my car broke down."

The receptionist looked as if she suffered great difficulty in restraining herself from rolling her eyes. Embarrassed, Bella looked away. She was relieved to find the receptionist rummaging through her desk. She held out a white piece of paper towards her, it was her timetable.

"Hold it right there." She said as Bella moved towards it, after which there was a quick flash. Bella blinked, caught off guard. The receptionist placed a small silver digital camera back on her desk. "Photo day was in the fall, you will be notified when your student I.D. card is made. This will also be added to the yearbook." It seemed as if the receptionist was holding back on a snicker. Bella sighed internally. "Today is the first day of classes of the second semester, you're lucky you only missed _two_ of your classes."

The hallways were empty. Bella looked down at her schedule, she was already running late for Biology, which should have started five minutes ago. _Room 202_, she thought, quickening her pace. She ran up the stairs two at a time, and stopped at the first door on her left. She peeked inside. All the students were seated in twos per table and were staring at the front of the room. Bella spotted an empty table at the back near the window. _Make it quick, sit down, and no one will even notice._

But the minute she walked into the room everyone immediately shifted their attention towards her.

"Hi, I haven't seen you in this school before, are you new?" A friendly voice asked.

She stopped, and suddenly became devastatingly aware of the state of her clothes and that her shoe laces were still undone. She saw herself in a mirror attached to a science experiment at the back of the room. Her lips were slightly chapped, her hair needed to be smoothed, and a thin sheet of perspiration shone off her pale face, making her look sickly. The eyes that watched her out of curiosity now looked bemused.

"Yeah, I'm Bella Swan." She mumbled, flickering her gaze towards the teacher quickly. Bella wanted nothing more than to sit down in the corner of the room and disappear. Everything would be better the next day, she promised herself. She would explain casually that she had slept in, something the other students would surely find amusing. She would pick out her clothes at night and would iron them, and would make up for the disaster that she had been on the first day.

"Oh, yes, I heard you would be coming in today. Why don't you take a seat, you haven't missed anything, I was just about to get started."

Bella moved along the outskirts of the classroom, avoiding the puzzled sets of eyes that followed her. She pulled out a tall stool from under the desk and sat down.

"Alright everyone, my name is Mr. Banner, and I teach both grades eleven and twelve biology courses so I may be seeing some of you next year." He moved towards the front of the counter and leaned against it. "I hope to make this course very interactive, and you will all benefit by working with each other and bouncing ideas around. You'd be surprised how much you can learn yourself by answering someone else's questions, and vice versa. Unfortunately you'll find your teachers will become less accessible as you move on…"

Out of the periphery of her eye Bella noticed someone watching her, and looked over to the next table at a girl with blond highlights and big brown eyes making no attempt at hiding her horror at Bella's appearance. Unfortunately Bella's stomach, that was unaware of the awkward glances being exchanged, decided to loudly announce that it needed to be fed. A wave of snickers erupted around her, causing Mr. Banner to pause. As he shrugged and resumed, Bella slumped deep into her chair.

* * *

Bella balanced on the edge of the curb by the road, positioning herself as far away from the school as possible while waiting for Charlie to pick her up. It was not just to prevent the impending humiliation, but it was futile waiting in the busy foyer amidst fellow teens socializing and making plans for after school when she clearly didn't belong. In the time it had taken her to fix herself up in the bathroom after Biology, all kinds of stories about Bella had fired through the student body. As a result, she was left unaccompanied during lunch and sat alone in class. Only one person solicited her, a jittery sort of boy who looked around a lot before asking her if she "brought any to school" and that he was willing to "pay a hell of a lot of money" for it. She had simply grimaced at him, realizing the particular brand of rumours that must have been circulating about her tardy and disheveled appearance at school.

The Cruiser came soon enough, but as Bella walked up to it, it drove past her and went up the drive way. Startled, she wondered why Charlie hadn't seen her standing so obviously in front of him. Students parted to make way for the car as she tailed it. The window rolled down and a man that was not Charlie spoke to a boy, who looked down Bella's way and pointed at her. Bella seethed from embarrassment, as onlookers whispered to one another, carrying grim expressions that stated they knew exactly why she was being picked up by the police.

Bella jumped into the car without looking behind her and slammed the door closed.

"Woah there! Someone's eager to get home!" A middle-aged man, who would know nothing about teenage social appearances, greeted her.

"Charlie wasn't able to make it?" Bella responded curtly.

"No, he got caught up in a big traffic accident just off the high way. They wouldn't have needed him except the one at fault was impaired." He shook his head. "So much for time off for the guy." After some silence he spoke up again. "Sorry about passing you by, I didn't know that was you by the road, haven't seen you in quite some time!"

"Oh… that's okay. I actually don't recognize you either…"

"Well you probably wouldn't, I was just new to town right before you moved away with your mom. The name's Robert, Robert Green."

"Nice to meet you." Bella responded, wondering what possible dire circumstances Robert must have been in to voluntarily move to Forks.

To her relief, the drive was much shorter on the way back. "Thank you so much for the ride." She said, almost leaping out of the car.

"Not a problem at all, you have yourself a good day Bella." She received a crinkled smile as she closed the door.

Bella's feet dragged against the ground as she walked inside, exhausted from her atrocious first day. She fell on the couch and switched on the TV where sure enough there were plenty of mindless shows that distracted her from thinking too much about school. An hour later she mustered up the motivation to get to her homework. It was the first step to reshape her impression at school.

Bella sat down on her chair and opened her bag. It was empty. Her hand whipped around the inside, feeling for anything she wasn't seeing but came up with nothing. She panicked, running her day through her head, and stopped at lunch time. A vivid image of her appeared, sitting alone, doodling on blank paper to pass time while eating fries, then getting up and throwing those papers in the garbage, not bothering to check how many were stuck together. She wouldn't have noticed if she was missing her notes while sitting on the floor in gym class afterward watching a video about safety during exercise.

Bella began pacing again, it was too late to check to see if the custodians had thrown out the trash, and even if it wasn't, her car wasn't working. She didn't have any friends or even know anyone's name at school to call anyone up for copies. No, she would instead sit at home and rot knowing that she would have to face the next day with another bad start.

Bella crumpled to the floor and leaned against the foot of her bed. She breathed heavily, and pressed her fingers firmly against her eyelids. But willing them to go away wouldn't prevent tears from spilling down her face. It was a simple explanation, she was a loser. She had never been able to keep friends when she was young because she was constantly moving around, and would never be able to make any now that she was older. Nothing in her life went her way, and it never would for all she cared to guess.

She heard the phone ring and grabbed a Kleenex to blow her nose. It was probably Charlie checking in on her and she needed to put on a brave face.

"Hello?"

"Hey Bella! How's it going?"

She froze. "Jacob?"

"Yeah yeah it's me. Listen, your dad called me and told me your car had some problems and needed to be looked at. Mind if I come over? Or are you busy?"

"Um... sure, I'm free right now. I hope it's no trouble for you."

"Nah, I'm just sorry it had to break down on your first day, hope you weren't pissed at me. Don't worry though, I promise it won't happen again."

Bella almost snorted at the thought of Jacob assuming fault for such a small piece of all the things that were wrong in her life. "No, no it's not your fault, I was close to the school anyways."

"Awesome, so I'll be there soon. See ya."

"Bye." Bella didn't allow her spirits to rise as she placed the phone on the receiver. The recent progress of the day primed her for what she might as well expect with Jacob.

* * *

Jacob closed the hood of Bella's car. "Let me guess, you tried to go past sixty didn't you?" he inquired.

Bella watched him from the seat of her old swing. "Yeah, I did. Was I not supposed to?"

He shook his head. "The engine can't take any more speed than that. Why do you think your dad was so psyched when I told him about this car?"

"Oh, sorry, it's my fault the car broke down then." she replied dully.

Jacob paused. "Bella, relax. I was the one who rebuilt the engine, I should have told you about it."

"Well, okay, if you say so."

He studied her longer. "Why are you being so formal? You do know we used to throw mud at each other as kids right?"

Butterflies flew in her stomach, not from infatuation although Jacob was attractive, but from knowing that he would soon join the rest of the Forks youth in alienating her. "Sorry, I guess I'm just… I dunno." She sighed.

Jacob smiled warmly. "It's okay, I get it. You're new. And you never went to school here so you don't know anyone, where everyone else practically grew up together. But you don't have to be that way around me, we're… mud buddies. Mortal enemies, reuniting."

An unexpected chuckle escaped from her lips. Encouraged, Jacob laughed in return. Over the laughter, Bella heard a growl. Jacob put a hand to his stomach and smiled sheepishly. "Sorry, haven't ate in a while, want to get something to eat?"

An extra wide grin plastered her mouth, amused at more than being invited to dinner with Jacob. "Absolutely."

* * *

They stopped in front of a small diner where Jacob picked up their preordered dinner. Bella had insisted on splitting the tab but he denied. "This one's on me, think of it as a welcome back to the mud world. But don't worry, with my dating record this year I'll soon be gut poor so you can pay for my food then."

Bella furrowed her brow, disconcerted with the thought of him dating so many other girls. She decided to change the topic before he asked about her own dating record. "So where are we going?" The aroma of burgers and wings packaged in the brown bags on her lap reminded her of how long it had been since she ate, and wished they had dined in instead.

"Speaking of dating, I thought we'd go check out a place I like to bring my dates to. I'm giving you an insider perspective, maybe you won't hate Forks so much from this view."

Bella hung onto his words, both exhilarated and puzzled as to what he meant by them. _Is this a date? Or is he calling me an 'outsider' to his dating world…?_ Her mind swam with confusion, she wasn't wishing she had stayed in the diner anymore.

They drove uphill for some time before turning into a small, unpaved deserted lot. As Jacob parked at the edge, Bella understood why he brought his dates here. It overlooked a grassy hill, and at the bottom stood tall weeping willows that arched over a fast running river. It would be a breathtaking and utterly romantic sight in the spring, not to mention a nice private place to bring your girlfriend to.

Jacob killed the engine but stayed seated. "Usually we picnic down by the river but it's cold and snowy, so hope you don't mind hanging out here instead."

"No, no it's fine." She said, and handed him his sandwich. She unwrapped hers and gingerly took a bite, noticing that Jacob had nearly devoured half of his sandwich while she was still chewing.

"So, minus the whole break down incident, are there any other problems with the car?"

Bella remembered her qualms with the noise on her way to school but didn't have the heart to bring it up in front of Jacob when he was being so nice to her. "No, not at all. It's really great, thanks so much again for everything."

Jacob stared at her with confusion, his eyebrow half way up his forehead. "Seriously? I'm not a complete idiot Bella. This car? Great? Are you smoking something?"

Bella grimaced. "Apparently." She muttered.

It didn't evade Jacob. "What? You smoke?" he asked, leaning in for his second sandwich.

Bella sighed. "No, never have. It's… a long story." She looked up at him. Without speaking, he leaned back and gestured her to continue. Bella considered telling him, and then by the time she began speaking she conceded that she must have been smoking to come out with today's school story.

Jacob erupted in laughter, almost choking on his bite. Bella frowned. This was not necessarily the reaction she had been hoping for. He took a deep breath as the laughter died down into sparse chuckles.

"Oh man, that was awesome. I wish I was there to see you. You, pot, Chief Swan's daughter, it's all just so wrong. How did those idiots even come up with that load?" Bella shrugged, but was somewhat relieved to hear him calling the school the idiots instead of her. "But seriously Bella, you're not letting that get you down are you? I know it must suck to have that as your first day, but no one's going to even remember that by the end of the school term."

She sighed in response. "I don't know, I don't have the best luck in making friends, and I'm definitely not good at keeping them. But I guess tomorrow will be another day. Except, ugh," she leaned her head against the seat. "I threw out my notes by mistakenly at school. Mr. Banner is all about _interactive learning_, and is definitely going to call on us to answer questions about the homework. I'm just going to look incompetent."

"Hmm…" Jacob looked thoughtful. "You're in grade eleven, right?" Bella nodded. "Awesome, I've got an idea. Hold on."

Curious, Bella took one last longing look at the river as they backed out of the lot.

* * *

Bella had been parked in someone's driveway for the last five minutes waiting for Jacob to finish with his _idea_ at the front door. He swung around the car and knocked at her window, she rolled it down.

"Is this it?" he asked. Bella looked at the papers, incredulous. They were messy but identical to today's Biology lesson.

"What the, Jacob, yeah that's it!" Jacob waved a thumbs-up at the front door, where a blond haired boy waved back.

"Those are Mike Newton's notes, he's supposed to be in your grade. His family owns the sports store and people from La Push get stuff from there all the time so we're all on pretty good terms. He's not a bad kid." He said, as he turned the car on again.

"Jacob, I can't believe it. Thank you so much." Bella said earnestly. Jacob waved a dismissive hand.

"No worries, he said he probably wouldn't even have done it. At least you know you won't be the only one if you ever forget to do your homework." He snickered. Bella felt a twinge of guilt at preventing Mike from completing his homework, but remembered that he probably did nothing to quell the rumours about her and decided it was an appropriate form of vengeance.

As they pulled up to her driveway, Bella marveled at how easily she had spent the evening with Jacob. More importantly, Jacob hadn't rejected her once since she met him, to the contrary, he'd been outright welcoming. Spending time with him had been such a refreshing change from the social isolation she had become so accustomed to.

They stepped out of her car and Jacob tossed the keys towards her, which she naturally missed.

"Not much of an athlete eh? Don't worry, we'll work on that in the summer. Just no mud this time." He suggested.

She smiled. "Trust me, you don't want me anywhere near a ball and a window." He chuckled, and she studied him, wondering for the second time how he had gotten so big. "Speaking of athletic, how'd you get to be so tall? I can't believe you're younger than me, what are you on, steroids?"

"Uuh, me? I don't know, got a tall gene in the family or something." He stammered, fidgeting nervously, and looked around Bella instead of at her.

She was taken aback. Jacob had been so easy going with her, she would have never guessed he could be bashful about something so silly as his looks. _What does he even have to be shy about? Hasn't he seen himself in a mirror?_ "Oh, cool." She said, deciding not to make him feel any more uncomfortable. "Thanks again for everything, the car, the repair, dinner, the notes… I really appreciate it Jacob."

He eased up. "Stop thanking me man! And no more formalities!"

"Well, I better get to this homework, good night Jacob."

He waved at her as he towards his car. "Later!"

She entered her house and closed the door behind her. Charlie was lying on the couch with a beer in his hand, his eyes affixed towards the game on TV.

"Hey Dad." Bella chimed from the door.

"Hey Bella! Sorry I couldn't pick you up today!" Charlie shouted over the commentator.

"No, don't worry about it, I heard what happened. Jake came by to fix my car and we ate something." She slipped off her shoes and walked towards the stairs.

"Yeah I figured when I saw his car. So, how was your first day?"

Bella paused at the foot of the staircase, her back towards Charlie. She looked down at the notes in her hand. A bit of ketchup had managed to stain the corner of the top sheet. She smiled secretly. "It was perfect."

* * *

Aww wasn't that so sweet? Haha.. I got really excited when I thought of the contrasting halves of her first day and couldn't wait to finish writing it all out. The title is an ode to all Simple Plan fans out there, albeit I'm not much of a fan myself :). But I do know the song and the title and lyrics just fit Bella's first day of school so well I had no other choice but to use it! Just to clarfiy, Bella is not really infatuated with Jacob now, she finds him attractive, but I want to develop their relationship more before I even hit the crush stage, and even more before it gets to love. Anyways, you had to know there would be no Edward when I started off with "bright and sunny day", but never fear, he is very near! So near that you should expect him in the next chapter! Wait till you see what I've done with him! Again, if you like, please review! Thanks so much for reading!


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